


Hitokara

by kamja



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-04
Updated: 2013-06-04
Packaged: 2017-12-13 23:34:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/830129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kamja/pseuds/kamja
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ohno is a salaryman who visits Nino's karaoke box. One-side Ohmiya.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hitokara

There was a man who came in every evening at 6:17. He always ordered one beer and one hour. Nino always led him to Room 301, which he kept open in the evenings for this purpose. The man would always nod in thanks, and solemnly enter the room. Nino would turn and walk the short distance back to his spot at the reception desk, and tried to act normal by continuing to read his newspaper.

In a moment, the music started up. It was always the same pop song, a cheerful ballad at odds with the man’s image. Nino held his breath. Above the beat, a beautiful voice streamed out of Room 301. Rich and flexible, it hit every note perfectly and Nino heard each one. Room 301 had weak soundproofing.

He noticed that man coming in every day last week. It wasn’t unusual to see salarymen come in to blow off some steam after work by singing a couple of songs by himself. But it _was_ strange for someone to come every day and sing the same song.

“I wonder why he likes that song,” he wondered out loud as the man in Room 301 started up again. Aiba looked up from his place by the cash register, where he was drawing up a new sign for the night’s drink specials.

“Maybe it has some special meaning to him,” Aiba said, shrugging.

“Maybe he just had a breakup,” Nino said without thinking.

Aiba poked Nino’s elbow with his pen. “Don’t assume mean things about people.”

Nino snorted. “What kind of person comes here every day alone? He must be depressed. That’s pathetic, huh.”

“And so are you listening for signs of a suicide or something?” Aiba replied, putting up the sign on its easel by the door. “Is that why you put him in Room 301?”

“Uh _hello_ , I wouldn’t put a crappy singer in there,” Nino folded his arms. “You should be thanking me.”

The man would sing the song two or three times, and then sing a few other songs randomly before leaving. He never stayed the whole hour.

“His name is Ohno,” Aiba said when Nino came back from serving drinks in another room. “He just left.”

Nino looked over to Room 301 as if he didn’t believe him. The door was open. “So what if his name is Ohno?”

“Just thought you wanted to know.”

The next day, Ohno was back again.

“Hard day at work?” Nino asked as he walked out from behind the reception desk.

Ohno shook his head. “Not particularly.”

“Karaoke at the end of the day is a good way to rewind, huh,” Nino didn’t know why he was pressing the subject.

“It helps with my worries.”

 _Bingo._ Nino nodded his head politely and left Ohno to do his thing.

“He has _worries_ ,” Nino said later that night.

“Who?” Aiba turned from counting receipts at the register. “No wait, lemme guess.”

“It’s our social duty to help those in need, right?”

“If you say so.”

The next day, Ohno didn’t show up. He didn’t come the day after, or the day after that either. Nino slumped at his place at the reception desk, watching the clock glumly. It turned 6:18. The door opened and Nino sat up quickly. However, it was a group of high schoolers.

“I hope he’s okay,” Nino said later while arranging some bottled drinks in the fridge behind the desk. “Seems weird that he would suddenly stop coming.”

“He’s fine,” Aiba said, staring at the door.

“And how would you know that?” Nino turned around almost angrily, and came face to face with Ohno. He was standing at the desk with a group of men and women. Nino recognized some of them as tellers from the large bank down the street. “Ohhh...hi. Long time no see. You’ll need a bigger room this time, huh?”

“...Have you been coming here alone?” the man standing next to Ohno teased. He wore a nice suit and he nudged Ohno playfully.

Nino couldn’t help himself, but it looked like Ohno didn’t mind at all.

“Well. That is. I just didn’t wanna sound bad, Jun!” Ohno laughed, and some of the other people in the group laughed with him.

Picking up on Nino’s still-polite but subtly-hostile facial expression, Aiba jumped up. “Tonight we have beer buckets for half-off.”

When Aiba returned from showing Ohno’s group into a room, he clapped one hand on Nino’s shoulder and left it at that.

The opening chords of that familiar pop ballad could be heard very faintly. Then the drunken office girls in the next room started another round of SMAP songs at the top of their lungs, drowning out Ohno, and Nino couldn’t be happier.


End file.
